Thailand’s embattled Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was under further pressure on Monday, as tens of thousands of anti-government protesters sealed off parts of central Bangkok in an attempted shutdown of the city.

Demonstrators gathered at seven major intersections in the Thai capital, barricading roads and calling for Ms Yingluck and the ruling Pheu Thai Party to step down.

The shutdown threat has prompted further calls for the February 2 general election to be postponed. The opposition Democrat Party has already said it will boycott the poll.

On Monday, Ms Yingluck invited protest leaders and other political parties to discuss a proposal by the Election Commission to delay the ballot until May.

Postponing the vote will not satisfy the protesters, who regard Ms Yingluck as a puppet of her brother and former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. They believe Mr Thaksin continues to run Thailand from exile and accuse him of abusing the government’s power to further his business interests.

“I’m here because I want the country rid of the Shinawatra family. They must go. They’re too corrupt,” said Som Damrongsirirat, a 51-year-old protester and owner of an electrical appliances company.

Pheu Thai’s populist policies, though, ensure that the party commands huge support among the rural poor of the densely-populated north and northeast of the country and is almost certain to win any future election.

Instead of elections, protest leader Suthep Thaugsuban is seeking to replace the government with an unelected ‘people’s council’.

“The protesters want the government to step down and political reform to take place before any election,” said Pitch Pongsawat, a professor of political science at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University.

“But the government won’t postpone the election to allow reform to take place. They’ll only delay it if they think there are too many technical difficulties for it to be held.”

Eight people have died since the protests started in earnest in November and 18,000 police and soldiers were deployed in Bangkok to prevent violence and guard government buildings.

Yet, the demonstrations were peaceful and while the city’s roads were unusually quiet, shops and businesses stayed open and public transport continued to operate.

Most of the protesters, some wearing T-shirts proclaiming ‘Shutdown Bangkok Restart Thailand’, appeared content to blow whistles and wave Thai flags, while listening to music and speeches.

Some of the protesters were bussed in from southern Thailand, the heartland of the Democrat Party, and tents were pitched at the protest sites, an indication that the demonstrations will continue for days yet.